Malian Foreign Minister: The withdrawal of Paris affected our security operation, and there are no Wagner forces in our country

And he denied - in his speech to an episode of the "Without Borders" program (16/2/2022) - having a relationship with the Russian "Wagner", considering that the talk about the presence of this group in Mali aims to "incite international forces against it."

The minister went on to confirm that the Russian military trainers who are currently present in the country are training the Malian forces, and indicated that their presence comes within an official framework with the Russian government.

Diop accused the international community of dealing with Mali with double standards, "and he has to stop that," stressing that the new authority affirms full sovereignty and stops foreign control over the country's politics, stressing that the important thing now is to work to stabilize security, stressing that the authorities were able to achieve tangible results in this field.

The election

On the holding of elections, the foreign minister said that his country is working on reforms in the political system to make the democratic process sustainable, expressing his government's conviction that this will not be achieved until security is established on the entirety of Mali, according to what was agreed upon in the internal dialogue late last year.

Diop did not hide the existence of a problem with the international community and the Economic Community of West Africa "ECOWAS" because of the transitional period they set for Mali to get out of the situation it was going through after the military coup that the country witnessed in the middle of last year, and pointed out that the dialogue with "ECOWAS" resulted in reducing the transition period. Politician 5-4 years old.

On the issue of the expulsion of the ambassador of Paris, the minister stressed that the interference of the French authorities in the country increased after the coup and that the matter reached the point of disrespect for the current government, and added, “The ambassador has been warned more than once because of the undisciplined statements by Paris, but we did not find an echo, and we regret what Relationships reached.

External sanctions

On the sanctions imposed on his country due to the coup, Diop stressed that they greatly affect the progress of the transition process and limit capabilities in the fight against terrorism, adding that Mali will not accept conditional aid, and calling on partners to work with the authorities in Mali according to long-term plans that serve both sides.